Debates of Feb. 3rd, 2023

The Economy

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, first of all, we have lowered taxes for middle-class Canadians twice. We have lowered taxes for small businesses twice, and it is important that the opposition understands that inflation is—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

We do not have interpretation.

It is working now. The hon. parliamentary secretary can restart his answer.

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Burnaby North—Seymour, BC]

Madam Speaker, I would love to restart my answer because it gives me a second opportunity to talk about how we have lowered taxes for middle-class Canadians twice. We have lowered taxes for small businesses twice.

When it comes to global inflation, it is, in fact, global. It is too high in Canada, at 6.3%, but it is higher for our economic peers. It is 6.5% in the United States. It is over 9% in Europe. It is over 10% in the OECD. We should be encouraged that inflation is actually coming down in Canada. We have a strong fiscal framework that allows us to invest in affordability, in good, clean jobs and in making sure that we build an economy that works for everyone.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Madam Speaker, the Liberals have put B.C. families in an impossible position with their inflationary spending. After eight years of the Prime Minister, the prices of gas, rent and groceries have all sky-rocketed. Half of Canadians are now worried they cannot properly feed their families. Meanwhile, the Liberals are dishing out multi-million dollar contracts to friendly friends.

When will the Liberal government stop lining the pockets of their friendly friends and start focusing on everyday Canadians?

[Ya'ara Saks, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Madam Speaker, I always hope that we can certainly be friendly with our colleagues across the way.

I really find it difficult and challenging that the Conservatives seem to have this tactic of saying one thing but doing something else. They say they are really concerned about Canadians, but they vote against our measures for rental and dental assistance, or measures in terms of protecting workers. They voted against our measures in terms of cutting taxes for the middle class. They even wanted, in their campaign proposal, to cut the child care agreements in this country. They are not really there for Canadians. That is not so friendly.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Madam Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians are having a hard time paying for everything, including imported vegetables. Life has never been so expensive. An innovative and environmentally safe agribusiness is ready to open in my community, but it is concerned about upcoming Liberal restrictions.

Why does the Liberal government have no problem spending billions of dollars on friendly consultants, but seems determined to make life more difficult and expensive for hard-working Canadians?

[Terry Beech, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, Canada is working and Canadians are working. In fact, they are working in record numbers. Over 659,000 jobs have been created since the pandemic. That is what allows us to invest in making life more affordable by protecting and increasing retirement security for seniors, and by investing in dental care for children.

I have good news on that front. I am happy to report today that over 152,000 children under the age of 12 have been able to go to the dentist because of the investment we made. That is lifting a burden off Canadian parents.

Sports

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

Madam Speaker, for months now, we have been hearing horror stories involving various sports in Canada. Several years ago, our government implemented new measures to put an end to this scourge, which is undermining some amazing talent and, worse still, destroying lives.

Would the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport please explain how our government's many decisions are now bringing about change?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport]

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her question and her support on a very important issue that our government is very involved in.

We are creating new structures to protect athletes and provide solutions to help and support them. A few months ago, we established the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, and 34 sporting federations joined it. We are doing everything we can to protect athletes, and we will always stand by them.

Agriculture and Agri-Food

[Jeremy Patzer, Conservative, Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK]

Madam Speaker, after eight years of the Prime Minister, Canadians are paying the price for his destructive policies. The farmers who produce our food are continuing to struggle.

A farmer from my riding recently showed me his latest gas bill for grain drying. The carbon tax and GST that were applied on top of it amounted to over $1,100. However, with higher costs for producers in the field and for consumers at the grocery store, the Liberals do not care. They are going to go ahead and triple the carbon tax anyway.

When will they stop punishing Canadian families and the farmers who feed them?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Madam Speaker, we do care for farmers. I work very closely with farmers across the country, and we are the government that has invested the most in history in the agriculture and agri-food sector. We just signed the sustainable Canadian agricultural partnership, and we have increased, by 25%, the cost-shared contribution to support our farmers.

When the Conservatives were here, they were cutting in science, they were cutting in business risk management and they were cutting everything for farmers.

Air Transportation

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Madam Speaker, on December 3, CTV ran a story with the following headline: “Transport minister confident in a smooth holiday air travel season”. However, as we all know, the chaos that Canadians experienced at airports last summer was repeated in December and January, with Canadians stranded at airports for days on end.

After eight years, what exactly is the Liberal government doing to prevent air travel chaos?

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Madam Speaker, our government understands how the delays and cancellations this holiday season were extremely frustrating for travellers. We expect all airlines to communicate with passengers and keep them informed of delays or cancellations.

We are always looking at ways to strengthen rights for passengers, and we will continue to ensure these rights are protected and that the Canadian Transportation Agency has the resources it needs to enforce these rights. As the minister, who was before us at the transport committee, committed to, we are looking to strengthen air passenger rights. We will continue to make sure that Canadians have a smooth—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Wascana.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Madam Speaker, in a vast country such as ours, efficient air travel to all regions is essential, but after eight years of the Liberal government, mid-size airports like Regina's are bearing the brunt of airline cutbacks and lack of competition, leaving people in those regions feeling like second-class citizens.

Will the government help Canadians who use mid-size airports, or will the government continue to leave them stranded?

[Annie Koutrakis, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Madam Speaker, our government will continue to strengthen everything that Canadians require to have a smooth experience in travel. We continue to dialogue with our airports. The minister's office and the minister himself continue to meet with them and have that conversation.

We will always be there to listen to concerns and needs. We will deliver for all Canadians across the country.

Telecommunications

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

Madam Speaker, now, more than ever, Canadians rely on access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet. It keeps us connected with loved ones, but also allows us to learn online while improving access to essential services and creating opportunities for our businesses to grow.

Can the Minister of Rural Economic Development update this House on the progress our government is making on achieving our goal of connecting 98% of Canadians by 2026 and 100% of Canadians by 2030?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Minister of Rural Economic Development]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from Whitby for his strong, unwavering advocacy for rural issues.

We know that investments toward high-speed Internet are transformational for improving the lives of rural Canadians, whether they are working from home, accessing health care and education or, frankly, keeping in tough. Today, 93.5% of Canadians have access to high-speed affordable Internet. In 2014, just 79% of Canadians had access. As my colleague said, we are well under way to meeting our commitment of having everybody connected by 2030. When rural Canada succeeds, all of Canada succeeds.

Natural Resources

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Speaker, deep seabed mining threatens ocean ecosystems. Rather than taking a stand on deep seabed mining like France, Germany, Spain and others, the Liberals prefer to support Canadian mining companies such as The Metals Company, creating industrial-scale mining sites on the deep seabed. Meanwhile, the lives and livelihoods of indigenous and coastal communities around the world that rely upon the health of the oceans may be threatened.

Will the government stand up today for the safety and protection of our oceans and demand a moratorium on international deep seabed mining?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Madam Speaker, Canada's position is that the seabed and the marine environment require effective protection through rigorous regulatory structures, applying a precautionary ecosystem-based approach, using science-based and transparent management and ensuring effective compliance.

As the situation evolves, our government will continue to work with scientists and will work with international partners. We all want to do what is right for Canada.

Canadian Heritage

[Mike Morrice, Green, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Madam Speaker, the pandemic has been devastating for artists and the organizations that support them. Ticket sales for live orchestras, like the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, are still an unsustainable 33% lower than before the pandemic. The government ended pandemic relief funds for arts organizations, but they still need our help.

After months of advocacy, the minister said he would monitor the situation and that is not good enough. Can the KW Symphony count on the government's support in budget 2023?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Speaker, we know that the performing arts were the first impacted by the pandemic and will be the last to recover. We are aware of the situation the hon. member has brought attention to, and I know he has met with the Minister of Canadian Heritage on the file. We will work with this organization to find a solution to the issues it has raised.

The government has been there for our culture sector since 2015 after cuts from the previous Conservative government. We have been there from the start of the pandemic. We are there for our arts and culture sector.

Dog Importation

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to rise and present petition e-4122, which has received a whopping 20,000-plus signatures from Canadians. That is a significant number of signatures.

The petition refers to the government's dog rescue importation ban. It asks the government to work with affected dog rescues and animal rights advocates to ensure that government policy on dog importation keeps Canadians safe without increasing the number of animals in shelters or on streets globally, and to have some compassion and allow dogs into this country that could be reunited with very generous Canadians.

I present this petition on behalf of those 20,000-plus people.

Nuclear Weapons

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise to present a petition from concerned Canadians who note that the Russian Federation's illegal invasion of Ukraine has heightened concerns around the world about the threat of nuclear war for the first time in a very long time.

The petitioners point out that we have made many efforts over the years in nuclear non-proliferation and that particularly recently, we had a historic treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons that entered into force in January 2021. The petitioners also note the Government of Canada is not participating in the treaty and has even failed to show up as an observer to the negotiations and the first meeting of the parties.

These citizens and residents of Canada call on the Government of Canada to show a leadership role and look at our historic role in that regard. They call on Canada to join our allies, such as Germany and Norway, in at least participating as observers to the ongoing work of the treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Madam Speaker, I am tabling a petition today on behalf of residents in my community of Kelowna—Lake Country. Due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, they are asking for a number of actions. They are calling on the government to, first, extend open work permit time limits set through the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel measures; second, extend working visa and student visa time limits through the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel measures; and last, offer a simplified path to permanent residency for Ukrainians who wish to stay in Canada.